A few thoughts on suffering...

I'm going to begin a series of posts on this topic.
I've been reading a few books by Pastor Rob Bell.

Drops Like Stars and Jesus Wants to Save Christians

Though I will be talking about a lot of what he talks about. I want to focus on one main idea.
Why does suffering exist, when God is love?
Why does suffering exist, when Salvation is here?

Salvation is Here. ignored.

There is a pattern.
A pattern all throughout our lives.
Anguish. Satisfaction. Glory. Downfall. Suffering. Glory. Satisfaction. Suffering. Happiness. Suffering. Happiness. Suffering. Happiness. Suffering. Happiness. And so on and so on.
It never fails.
Whether it's something big or small, we live in a pattern of happiness and suffering.
Suffering and Happiness.
We hold on to those moments of happiness. We cleave to those times.
Why?
The Bible shows an answer.
And really the answer can't be brought out in full by one blog post.
It can't be shown through many blog posts.
But maybe we can shed some light on certain aspects.
We live in Egypt. Even in Egypt there are times of happiness. There are times when the Jewish people were happy. A new baby. A celebration. Good food. Houses and a roof over their heads. Job security. They were slaves. How do we know this? The Jewish people wanted to return. They were used to the suffering. They saw new circumstances they couldn't understand ahead of them in the desert. They knew the circumstances in Egypt. Suffer all day, happiness in the evening.
In the desert, no one understood.
We find ourselves in the desert a lot don't we? We want to return to Egypt sometimes.
But why... why was God leading them into the desert?
Why does it feel like God drops us off in the desert sometimes even now?
We follow God. We give up everything. We suffer.
And yet the unrighteous, the evildoers, the pagans... they sit in empire. They sit in luxury.

We find ourselves looking back a lot... don't we?

This brings us to Sinai.
God was doing something new.
Mount Sinai was where Moses received the Ten Commandments.
Mount Sinai was where God began a real relationship with His people.
Mount Sinai Was God showing that the desert, the desert is not where His people are to stay.
The desert was just a way to shape, a way to prepare, a way to mold His people into His ambassadors. Into a group of people that would learn to rely, learn to mirror, learn to reflect God's very character.
Suffering does that doesn't it?
We truly see eye to eye with people who can say, 'Been there, done that.'
We become a community when we can together say, "I know how you feel."
"I'm going through that too."
"I've been there."
There is so much power in just two words, "Me too."
God was saying, Me too.
The law screams out, Me too.
But it wasn't enough.
The Jewish people forgot.
The Jewish people saw how much the earth can give. They said, "God We are your servants... but we serve ourselves too."
Israel became slave owners.
Israel became an empire.
Israel collected much gold and silver.
Israel went after money, power, lust, greed, envy, strife, laziness...
Israel became proud.

This brings us to Jerusalem.
Prosperity under kings like Saul, David, And Solomon.

Forgettfulness.

This brings us to Babylon.
Captivity.
Egypt all over again.
The Bible shows this pattern. Our lives show this pattern.

I'll pause here. Plenty more to come.
But as we are going through our issues of suffering, what is God showing you?
What is God saying to you? The cross of Christ, states two things: The law wasn't enough. The law can be forgotten. And, God coming down, saying, ME TOO! Jesus has taken the pain, the strife, the hardships, the uncomfortable circumstances, the pressure, the risk, the loneliness, the insecurity, the waiting. Jesus has come to say, Me too.
Don't grow familiar, with the thought of salvation. That is how it becomes ignored, whether intentionally or accidentally. We can forget what salvation is really all about. Don't skim over the fact that Christ has come. Read, pray, meditate, knowing that God is showing you, training you, growing you into who He wants you to be. But the best news of all is that we are never alone. Our desert journey isn't by following a prophet named Moses. Our desert journey is following a savior bearing a wooden cross, our wooden cross.
I need reminded of this every day. I need to soak myself in the fact that my troubles are His troubles. Not because He needs to take them, but that He wants to, that He already has. That He knows the outcome. Glory, not for me. For Him. Suffering. Happiness. Suffering. Happiness. Suff... Joy. Joy. Joy. Joy.